The Oklahoma City Thunder, as frustrating and painful as it surely is to do admit, were going nowhere as formerly constructed. They bowed out of the playoffs in the first round for the second consecutive season in 2018-19, and absent a realistic means of gaining financial flexibility without making a major move, were even probably on the downside of their tenure with Paul George and Russell Westbrook leading the way.

Those realities don't make Friday night's league-shaking trade of George to the LA Clippers any less shocking, and the unprecedented haul of draft picks general manager Sam Presti managed to procure from Los Angeles – whose hopes of bringing Kawhi Leonard home hinged on the acquisition of George – doesn't do much to lessen the disappointment Thunder fans are currently feeling, either.

Oklahoma City mayor David Holt, though, believes trading George could be a necessary step on the Thunder's long road back toward legitimate championship contention.

“First things first…I suppose we all have to get used to the NBA reality that stars are free agents even when they're not. It is what it is,” he wrote on Twitter.

As a person, PG was good to OKC (most notably, his generosity with the youth of our community). Being a fan is nothing but a collection of memories, and as a player, PG gave us some great ones (47 pts against Brooklyn, the Utah 25-pt playoff comeback, the Philly 4-pt play all come to mind). My inclination right now is to wish him well & move on.

“The team obviously moves into a new chapter, & PG may ultimately be our Herschel Walker. In the meantime, I’m Thunder till I die & you cannot pummel out of me the gratitude I will always have that OKC gets to be a part of this wild ride.”

Oklahoma City is better positioned for the future than it was before. If Presti's ongoing conversations about Westbrook's future lead to the former MVP being traded, though, local Thunder fans will probably require even more assurance from their top elected official at city hall.